The Joel Palmer House and a Family of Mushroom Cooks

Many of you know I get a daily Chai Latte every morning. I was getting a chai before you could order from a phone or before apps were a thing on a phone. I enjoy taking the extra time to walk in, talk to the people working, and make a connection. These past few weeks, I’ve noticed more people going through the drive-thru along with more and more people ordering from the app to grab and go. The number of people waiting for their drink is next to nothing these days. Having random conversations with strangers in the community feels like it’s getting less and less. Feeling this sadness gives me more fuel on why I started this whole journey. Bringing people together and sharing stories is a huge component of who we are as humans.

Maybe I am getting a little like Clint Eastwood and chanting, “Get off my lawn.” I sure hope I am not getting crazy by holding onto connections within our communities.

Speaking of connections and community, it’s that time of year where wineries in the Northern Hemisphere are starting harvest. What an exciting time of year, and it brings me joy every single year!

I haven’t talked about the podcast here in forever, but I have to bring up my conversation with Brenda and Frank from The Ground. They are doing some amazing work in the Valley, bringing together the community, and as with everyone I interview, they are amazing people.

If you have not heard of The Ground, it is kind of like the umbrella company that created Humble Spirit in downtown Mac, Tabula Rasa Farms, Source Farms, The Farmhouse, Yamhill B&B, Inn the Ground, the event space Stillwater (where several wine events like Friendsgiving were held), and The Grounded Body. I told you they are something else. Do a little homework if you are interested, and if you want to experience them firsthand, they are holding an event called “Farm to Fire: Honoring the Animal Culinary Experience” with Tournant next Saturday (Sept 14). I promise it will be quite the event!

And if you want to listen to the podcast interview, here are all of the links:

• ​YouTube​
• ​Apple Podcasts​
• ​Spotify​

I have the extreme luxury of allowing a story to brew for years upon years. To me, it has a deeper meaning and connection. This month’s story started in 2020 for me, but the root of the story goes way back to 1852 when a historical figure built a family home in the town of Dayton, which he founded in the 1840s. Who was this historical figure? Well, take a few sips of your coffee, stick around, and let’s find out together.

Fast forward a little to 1916, a new restaurant named Joe’s opened in Reading, Pennsylvania. Joseph and his wife ran the restaurant. It was a Polish tavern with an emphasis on wild mushrooms. At that time, Joe’s wild mushroom soup was 20 cents. Joe’s was passed down to the next generation, Joseph Jr., around 1945, and went more upscale trying to align more with French fine dining. There was one menu item that stayed on the menu, which was the wild mushroom soup. In 1975, the third generation, Jack Czarnecki and his wife Heidi, took over the restaurant and decided to focus on being a mushroom restaurant.

Jack is the author of several books: Joe’s Book of Mushroom Cookery, A Cook’s Book of Mushrooms: With 100 Recipes for Common and Uncommon Varieties, Truffle In The Kitchen: A Cook’s Guide, and Portobello Cookbook. A Cook’s Book of Mushroom received a James Beard award. All of this attention helped the restaurant gain exposure, along with an appearance on Good Morning America.

Jack and Heidi were doing great in Pennsylvania, but they always had a dream of having a restaurant in wine country. In 1997, they followed that dream and bought Joel Palmer’s house that was built in 1852. At that time, the house had been vacant for 20 or 30 years. Major renovations were done including jacking up the house to pour a new foundation. You and I know the name of this restaurant as The Joel Palmer House. If you have never heard of the Joel Palmer House, I hope you pour yourself some more coffee and join me in this little Saturday morning stroll.

33 years after Jack and Heidi took over the reins, it was time for the fourth generation to take over. In 2008, Chris Czarnecki was finishing up his enlistment with the Army, got married, and bought the restaurant from his parents. There are a few menu items still holding true throughout the years:

• Joe’s Wild Mushroom Soup, a purée of Slippery Jack Mushrooms (Suillus luteus) with a sunken quenelle of mushroom risotto.
• The Three Mushroom Tart, featuring Slippery Jacks, Porcini (Boletus edulis), and Button Mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus).
• Beef Stroganoff, a tenderloin with wild mushrooms and seasoned rice. Many people have threatened to boycott the restaurant if these were ever taken off the menu.

In 2016, the writer and director of a film reached out to Chris to learn more about mushrooms, truffles, and the hunting process. During the consultation, Chris explained that while truffle hunting is no longer done with pigs but rather with dogs. The writer decided to stick with using a pig for the dramatic effect, and personally, I think changing the title to “Dog” instead of “Pig” wouldn’t have been as catchy.

The lead role of the 2021 film “Pig” starred Nicolas Cage. He spent time with Chris to learn how to move and act like a chef. Afterwards, Cage and his family had dinner at The Joel Palmer House. Chris didn’t get much screen time in the movie, but his cast iron skillet was front and center. Also, if you have watched the movie, the meal Cage prepares at the end features an outstanding bottle of Oregon Pinot from Cameron.

I personally knew next to nothing about The Joel Palmer House. My first visit was in 2020 with Andrew, Teal, and Dan from Audeant. We were all sitting outside and I was blown away by the wine menu. Pages upon pages of Oregon wines. There was a huge library of wines I recognized and others I did not. I tried to find a bottle of what Andrew ordered but I couldn’t find it. I want to say it was a much older Panther Creek Pinot Noir, and it was delightful.

Fast forward a little to March 27, 2021. I was sitting at a table across from Chris for the McMinnville Wine Competition (sadly it is no more). If you have been reading the newsletter from 2021, you know I wrote about this interaction. I vividly remember and had to pull it up to share once again.

Chris is a great guy and I have to tell you, that first sip of Sparkling was crazy intimidating for me.

Back in June, I had the pleasure of revisiting The Joel Palmer House. There were no blind wine tastings and COVID wasn’t a thing either. The ability to sit, enjoy a meal, take a tour, and visit the cellar was quite the experience. We are getting closer to the end. Grab some more coffee, it’s still Saturday morning and the dogs don’t need to go outside quite yet.

Walking into the restaurant in the middle of the day, it was dead quiet except for a group of people dissecting the wines in front of them. Oh, a tasting group!! Walking into the kitchen, Chris was there along with Levi, the sommelier. He was watching the group go through the wines over the internal CCTV monitor. I would have loved to have stayed and watched but Marcus, the pastry chef, was making some strawberry yummy goodness. I forgot all of the details, but it was a deconstructed strawberry with additional goodness, molded and frozen to look like a strawberry once again. Holy Toledo, Batman, it was delicious!!

With it being the middle of the day, I was crazy fortunate to get a personal tour from Chris. He asked when was the last time I visited. As you already know the answer was 2020. He has done so much remodeling since and the outdoor seating has expanded quite a bit!

I had always wanted to visit the cellar at The Joel Palmer House and oh my goodness, it didn’t disappoint. On the way down to the cellar, the walls are autographed by all sorts of winemakers. Yes, I am miffed at myself for not getting a picture to share. When you visit, ask to see if it’s possible to get a tour of the cellar and you can see for yourself.

The cellar can hold up to 2,500 bottles of wine and the way Chris has it organized is stunning! It is not organized by vintage, AVA, variety, or anything like that. I am pretty sure it is based on the number of bottles they have. They have 99.5% Oregon Wines. The ideology behind that is to show off the best bottles from where you are at. No other restaurant has this many Oregon Wines in their cellar. It is quite something to see.

Walking around the cellar, there are a couple of 5 liters, but they are not for sale. They are birth-year wines for his kids. There are also some private label Joel Palmer House wines, one is a Sparkling from Jean-Michel Jussiaume at Maison Jussiaume. If you are not familiar with this house, oh my, it needs to get on your list.

After the tour, I had a little sampling of lunch while chatting with Chris. Most of the conversation I have already shared with you so I am sharing the pictures of the amazing food I had.

Before I leave, there is one little secret I want to share with you. There is a special table for two outside that is all by itself. If you are planning a special evening, be sure to ask for this table. I promise whoever you are with will give you all sorts of special attention after dinner!

Dayton is such a nice little quiet town! Getting away for a special evening is always needed to get away from the hustle and bustle of our busy lives. You know what I am going to say next. Visit The Joel Palmer House website, make a reservation, and when you arrive, let them know, “A.J. sent me!”

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With Gratitude,

A.J.

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PS - Want to know a little secret? Erich Berg, winemaker at Ricochet, now has a winery. September 13th is opening day and can you guess which reservation and event system he is using? Block 55 of course! Want a head start on making a reservation?